Ex-parliamentary employee arrested under anti-hacking law

Counter-terrorism police are investigating after a former parliamentary employee was arrested last week under anti-hacking laws.

The 40-year-old man was arrested on Thursday at an address in Coventry by detectives from the counter terrorism policing unit, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

He was arrested under the Computer Misuse Act of 1990, according to the police statement.

The man has been released on bail until July, the Met said, adding the allegations related to when the man was employed at Parliament.

The Computer Misuse Act seeks to protect material stored on computers from unauthorised access.

Speaking to the House of Commons at the start of business on Monday, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle gave a brief statement on the "security matter".

"The police investigation is ongoing. As you know, we do not discuss the details of such issues on the floor of the House", he said.

"This is an ongoing criminal investigation. I do not intend to take any further point of order on this matter. I will update members when I'm in a position to share more information", he said.

A parliamentary spokesperson said: "We are aware of the arrest of an individual under the Computer Misuse Act 1990, but as this is a live police investigation we are unable to comment further.

"The safety and security of everyone who works in or visits Parliament is our priority."